When the Moon had a magnetosphere.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33055162.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.abc0865 and PMC identifier 10763664.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC.
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Abstract
Apollo lunar samples reveal that the Moon generated its own global magnetosphere, lasting from ~4.25 to ~2.5 billion years (Ga) ago. At peak lunar magnetic intensity (4 Ga ago), the Moon was volcanically active, likely generating a very tenuous atmosphere, and, it is believed, was at a geocentric distance of ~18 Earth radii (<i>R</i> <sub>E</sub>). Solar storms strip a planet's atmosphere over time, and only a strong magnetosphere would be able to provide maximum protection. We present simplified magnetic dipole field modeling confined within a paraboloidal-shaped magnetopause to show how the expected Earth-Moon coupled magnetospheres provide a substantial buffer from the expected intense solar wind, reducing Earth's atmospheric loss to space.